Mechanism for automatic annual date indicator



1953 c. A. BALZEAU 2,647,359

MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC ANNUAL DATE INDICATOR- Filed Sept. 27, 1948 v :s Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 4, 1953 c. A. BALZEAU 2,647,359

MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC ANNUAL DATE INDICATOR Filed Sept. 27, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1953 c. A. BALZEAU 2,647,359

MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC ANNUAL DATE INDICATOR Fil ed Sept. 2'7, 1948 3 Sheet-Sheet 3 Patented Aug. 4, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC ANNUAL DATE INDICATOR Charles A. Balzeau, Vaucresson, France Application September 27, 1948, Serial No. 51,476 In France October 6, 1947 6 Claims. (01. 58-5) Mechanisms for automatic calendars or date I indicators, whether perpetual or not, are already known. The main drawback of indicators of the former type is the intricacy of mechanical parts provided to ensure a correct change of day numbers from February to March.

It is an object of my invention to provide a much simplified mechanism for date indicators, that can be operated by surplus power from a clock with which it is associated and automatically gives date indications (day, number of day and month) for a year, without needing any manipulation or correction.

, According to this invention, I provide a mechanism for an automatic date indicator, wherein means for changing the date numeral by two units every day, and for changing the day name to that of the next day, are combined with selecting means responsive to the month indication for restricting the date numeral change to one unit every day between the 1st and 30th day but allowing a change by two units for direct shifting of numeral indication from 30th to 1st when the month has only 30 days.

Further objects and features of my invention will become apparent as the specification proceeds.

In order that a clear understanding of my invention may be obtained, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred but not restricting embodiment of the invention. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front view, with portions exploded, of the main parts of a mechanism according to the said embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same.

Figs. 3 and 4, similar to Figs. 1 and 2 respectively, illustrate that portion of the mechanism which relates to indication of units in the day numbers.

Figs. 5 and 6 likewise illustrate the portion which relates to indication of the tens in the day numbers.

Figs. 7 and 8 are similar views illustrating the portion relating to indication of month names and the skipping device for 30 day months.

Fig. 9 is a plan view from above of the mechanism shown on Fig. 1, the lower spindles Ad and Au being drawn more widely spaced apart than on Fig. 1 for a clearer showing, and spring R being omitted.

Fig. 10 illustrates a preferred arrangement of indicating dials.

The apparatus to be hereinafter described is driven directly from, and housed in the same case as, a clockwork, employing surplus power as available from said clockwork; for this purpose a spindle 20 driven from the clockwork and revolving at a speed of one turn per 24 hours has a cam C keyed thereon.

Secured on a base plate 2| is a bracket 22 to which is attached an end of a motive spring R;

the other end of spring R it attached to the outer end Z2 of a lever arm L; said arm L is fast with a pin 25 which is borne for rocking movement in the clockwork case 28 as shown on Fig. 9. Also fast with pin 25 is another lever arm 11 the outer end of which engages cam C and is permanently biased to contact therewith by spring R. Consequently, as cam C makes one turn, lever Ll1 slowly rocks in clockwise directionas shown by arrow F1, spring R being stretched thereby, then rapidly moves in counterclockwise direction (arrow F2) by an equal amount under the biasing force of spring R.

Secured to end 12 of arm lever L are two resilient, apertured metal strips I and 4, arranged to act as pawls in cooperation with ratchetwheels 2 and 3 respectively; ratchet wheel 2 which is the day name wheel is keyed on a rotatable spindle As while ratchet wheel 3 is keyed on a rotatable spindle A.

Spindle As is rotatably supported in the front plate 26 and the back plate 21 of the frame or case of the combined clock and date indicator; spindle A is rotatably supported in the back plate 21 and in the back plate 29 of the clockwork case 28.

Ratchet wheel 2 has seven, equispaced teeth and is thus carried round together with its spindle As by one seventh of a turn every day; secured on spindle As is a ring or dial S on which the name of days are marked each name covering one seventh of the dial and which is also rotated. The dial may be arranged behind a screen having an aperture to display the day names in turn as diagrammatically shown on Fig. 10 or it may be combined with a stationary pointer showing the day name to be read.

Ratchet wheel 3 is formed with 31 teeth and strip 4 isso arranged that it could movesaid ratchet wheel by two thirty-firsts of a turn as lever L11 makes a full swing according to arrow F2. However a rocking or correcting lever l3 pivotally supported on a spindle Ab fast with the back plate 28 of clockwork case 21, has its end In normally positioned to cover one of two teeth of ratchet wheel 3 that could be engaged by strip 4 so that eventually ratchet wheel 3 is stepped round only by one thirty-first of a turn at a time, according to the sequence of days in any month.

A wheel 5 is keyed on spindle A so as to move round with ratchet-wheel 3. Wheel 5 is designed as a 3| tooth gearwheel from which one tooth has been omitted at Sea; it is arranged to mesh with a ten pin barrel (or ten tooth gear) 6 keyed on a spindle Au, on which is also keyed a ring or dial U; spindle Au is rotatably supported in front plate 25 and back plate 26; numerals 0 to 9 are marked on the peripheral portion of dial U to indicate day number units; dial U may be arranged to move behind an apertured screen as roughly shown on Fig. 10 or behind a stationary pointer as described with reference to dial S. In consid;

eration of the gear ratio between wheel 5 and barrel 5, and of toothless gap 5a, barrel 8 effects three turns as wheel 5 effects one, the latter moving idly on that day when gap 5a lies opposite barrel 6. The parts are so arranged that during one revolution of the 31-tooth wheel 5, the numerals on dial U appear on the successive days of the month through the aperture in the corresponding screen or opposite the corresponding pointer (aperture 40 on Fig. 10) in the following sequence 2, 3 etc. 9, 0, 1, 2 etc. 9, 0, 1, 2 etc. 9, 0, l, 1, the first being that for the 10th day of the month, the second 0 for the 20th day, the third 0 for the 30th d y, the first 1 thereafter for the 31st day and the following 1 for the first day of next month; the arrangement is such that the portion Ed on wheel 5 corresponding to the omitted tooth lies opposite barrel 6 during the day which is the first day of the month, so that numeral 1 that appeared through aperture 40 (Fig. 10) to indicate the 31st day of the preced- 11 month stays to indicate said 1st day,

Attached to wheel 5 to project in front thereof, are four teeth l lb, 1c, Id providing a virtual or partgear 'i, i. e. a 31 tooth gear from which 2'7 teeth would be omitted to keep only the first, tenth, twentieth and thirtieth teeth, The latter (or part gear 'l) are adapted to mesh with an eight pin barrel (or eight tooth gear) 8, fast with a spindle Ad on which is keyed a ring or dial D; spindle Ad is rotatably supported in front plate 26 and back plate 27; marked on dial D are two groups of numerals .1, 2, 3 with blanks or intervals without numeral between said groups, thenumerals indicating tens of day number. The parts are so arranged and relatively ad usted that the indication on dial D apparent through an aperture in a screen (as illustrated by Fig. 10) or opposite a pointer is shifted from 3 to a .blank when the date changes from the 31st day to the 1st day of the following month, from a blank. to 1 when the d te changes from the 9th day to the 10th day, from 1 to 2 when the date changes from the 19th day to the 20th day, and from. 2 to 3 when the date changes from the 29th day to the th day.

The numerals on dials U and D shall of course be so arranged that their combination behind the corresponding apertures or pointers allows of easily reading the number indicating the day -Of the month.

Also attached to wheel 5 to project at the rear thereof is a further tooth 9a, defining a virtual or part gear 9 having 31 teeth only one of which would be kept. Tooth 9a is adapted and arranged to mesh with a twelve pin barrel (or twelve tooth gear) [0 fast with a spindle Am; spindle Am is rotatably borne in front plate 26 and back plate 21; keyed on spindle Am, is a ring or dial M on which the names of the twelve months are marked, the parts being so arranged to day as has been set forth, for normal months of 31 days, movements being produced irom swinging motion of lever LZ1 in the direction of arrow F2 under the impulse from spring R.

For 30 day months, an arrangement is provided whereby a further tooth or ratchet wheel 3, on being uncovered, enables resilient strip 4 to enga e two teeth instead of one, there y ausing ratchet-wheel 3 and all parts which revolve therewith to turn by two thirty-firsts of a turn and simultaneously causing the day numerals to be changed from 31 to l, and the month name to be changed while the day indication is changed as usual.

For this purpose, a circular cam or camming disk G is fast on spindle A, to move round simultaneously with wheel 5 by one thirty-first of a turn every day, and has a notch E in its periphery; notch E is so located as to lie opposite the end In of rocking lever or monthly correction device B when the day is the 30th. Fast With spindle Am on which barrel It and dial M are keyed, is a control disk H having four notches e1, ez, e3, er in its periphery; said notches are so located that one of them lies opposite the end 172 away from end 191 of lever B whenever the name of a thirty day month is shown through the aperture in the corresponding screen or by the corresponding pointer.

Consequently, on the 30th day of a 30 day month, notch E in cam G and one of the notches e in control disk H are respectively opposite end In and end he of rocking lever B. Urged to r o tate in counterclockwise direction by resilient strip 4, rocking lever B swings to uncover that tooth on ratchet wheel which had as yet been covered by end b1 and thus allows strip 4 to move the ratchet wheel round by two thirty-firsts of a turn.

On the 30th day of a 31 day month, no notch on control disk H lies opposite end In of rocking lever B and consequently said lever cannot swing when notch E lies opposite end b1, so that shifting from 30 to 31 takes phace normally.

On each 1st day of March, an annual correction is to be effected to cause the false indications actually given by the device on that day (which would be 29th February in the case of non-leap years and 30th February in the case of leap years) to be replaced by correct indication, to wit 1st March. For this purpose a push button J, guided in and spring-urged to project outwardly through base plate 2|, is fast with a pawl or spring blade H as shown, the inner end of said blade being adapted to engage the teeth of ratchet wheel by pushing button J inwardly three times in the first case and twice in the second case, ratchet wheel 3 will step round by three or two thirty-firsts of a turn to correct the day numeral indication without altering the day name indication which is correct. 4

Similar push buttons Js and Jm fast with pawls or spring blades Us and llm may be provided for ready re-setting to date after a period of prolonged stop of the apparatus.

As shown on Figs. 3, 5 and 7, means illustrated as spring blades are preferably provided to engage the barrels or like gears and hold the same in fixed positions between two successive rotations thereof; the spring blades engaging barrels 6, 8 and it] are denoted by reference characters 30, 3! and 32 respectively. Such means are not shown on the other figures for the sake of simplification.

Referring to Fig. 9, have shown at 33 and 34 the clock hands which are fast with spindle and sleeve 36 driven from the clockwork. The front plate 26 is formed as a dial or has a dial attached thereto and apertures 3'], 3 8, 39, 49 may be provided therein, through which the day name, month and ay number numerals are visible as diagrammatically shown on Fig. 10. It

will be remarked that an unobstructed space M is available between rings S, M, D, U for passage of the hand driving spindle and sleeve 35, 36 shown on Fig. 9.

While I have described and illustrated what I believe to be an efficient and reliable embodiment of my invention, it should be understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto as many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a mechanism comprising a frame, a ratchet wheel having a spindle rotatably borne therein and a control pawl for said ratchet wheel arranged to effect reciprocation strokes in tangential relationship with said ratchet wheel, the combination of a camming disk having a notched periphery fast with said ratchet wheel spindle so as to turn with said ratchet wheel; a control disk having a notched periphery, rotatably borne in said frame; a skipping lever pivotally supported in said frame at a point intermediate its ends for rocking movement, said lever being adapted and arranged to have one of its ends in contact with the periphery of said camming disk and its other end in contact with the periphery of said control disk, the first named end being further adapted and arranged to provide an exposed incline for causing said pawl to ride thereon and thus be held out of control contact with said ratchet wheel in one position of said skipping lever; and means borne in said frame for reciprocating said pawl and rotating said control disk in timed relation.

2. In a mechanism comprising a frame, a

ratchet wheel having a toothed portion rotatably borne in said frame, and a control pawl arranged to effect reciprocatory strokes in tangential relationship with said ratchet wheel, the combination of a camming disk fast with said ratchet wheel for rotation therewith; a control disk rotatably borne in said frame; a skipping lever pivotally supported in said frame for rocking movement from an operative position to an inoperative position and vice versa, arranged for contact with said camming disk and said control disk so that its position is governed by the relative positions of said disks, said lever having a portion thereof adapted and arranged to lie adjacent said toothed portion of said ratchet wheel and to be ridden upon by said control pawl as it is reciprocated when said skipping lever assumes its operative position; and means for moving said pawl and said control disk in timed relation.

3. In combination with a clock having a clockwork, an automatic calendar mechanism which comprises a frame, a ratchet wheel provided with equispaced peripheral teeth, rotatably borne in said frame, a control pawl for said ratchet wheel, arranged to effect reciprocating strokes in substantially tangential relationship with the toothed periphery of said wheel, a camming disk and a control disk each of which is rotatably borne in said frame, means for rotating each disk from said clockwork, a skipping lever for said pawl, supported in said frame for rocking movement from an operative position to an inoperative position and conversely, said skipping lever being in contact at two separate points thereof with the peripheries of said camming disk and said control disk so as to be rocked thereby from one of said positions to the other one and conversely, said lever having a portion thereof adapted and arranged to be ridden upon by said control pawl as it is reciprocated, when said skipping lever assumes its operative position, and means coupled with said clockwork for actuating said pawl therefrom.

4. In combination with a clock having a clockwork, an automatic calendar mechanism which comprises a frame; a first ratchet wheel provided with thirty-one equispaced peripheral teeth, rotatably borne in said frame; a second ratchet wheel provided with seven equispacecl peripheral teeth, also rotatably borne in said frame; two control pawls, one for each ratchet wheel, arranged to effect reciprocating movements in substantially tangential relationship with the toothed periphery of the corresponding ratchet wheels; means coupled with said clockwork for actuating said pawls bodily therefrom, adapted and arranged to cause one reciprocation of both pawls simultaneously per 24 hours as the clockwork is in operation; a camming disk and a control disk each of which is rotatably borne in said frame; means for rotating each disk from said clockwork; a skipping lever for that pawl which controls said thirty-one tooth wheel, supported in said frame for rocking movement from an operative position to an inoperative position and conversely, said skipping lever being in contact at two separate points thereof with the peripheries of said camming disk and control disk so as to be rocked thereby from one of said positions to the other one and conversely, said skipping lever having a portion thereof adapted and arranged to be ridden upon by the corresponding pawl as it is reciprocated when said skipping lever assumes its operative position.

5. The combination of claim 4, said two pawls being integral portions of a resilient metal blade, which diverge in V formation.

6. In combination with a clock having a clockwork which comprises a rotary spindle adapted to effect one revolution in 24 hours, an automatic calendar which comprises a frame; a ratchet wheel rotatably borne in said frame, provided with equispaced peripheral teeth; a control pawl for said ratchet wheel, arranged to effect reciprocation in substantially tangential relationship with respect to the toothed periphery of said ratchet wheel; a control cam on said rotary spindle having one lobe; a control lever coupled with said pawl for supporting and moving the same, pivotally mounted in said frame; resilient means backed on said frame for urging said control lever to permanent contact with said cam; a camming disk and a control disk each of which is rotatably borne in said frame; means for rotating each disk from said ratchet wheel; a skipping lever for said pawl, supported in said frame for rocking movement from an operative position to an inoperative position and conversely, said skipping lever being in contact at two separate points thereof with the peripheries of said camming disk and control disk so as to be rocked thereby from one of said positions to the other one, said skipping lever having a portion thereof adapted and arranged to be ridden upon by said control pawl as it is reciprocated, when said skipping lever assumes its operative position.

CHARLES A. BALZEAU.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

